Towards the TdF 2012By: Michele Ferrari
Published: 18 Jun 2012Triumph of Bradley Wiggins in the Tour of the Dauphiné, thanks to the superb time trial of Bourg en Bresse (53 km to 50.79 km / h), but it is especially uphill that he and all his team showed a clear superiority over their rivals.

In the long windy time trial, Bradley expressed 1.9% more power than Tony Martin (2nd), 3.4% more than a renewed Michael Rogers (3rd), but most importantly a whopping 4.9% more than Cadel Evans (8th); Nibali (31st) was much further away: 11.3% less power than the British.

In the mountains, in the stage to Morzine, no opponent really managed to worry Wiggins: at the top of the Joux Plane (11.7 km at 8.4%) in the group of eight riders, four are from the Sky team: Wiggo, Rogers, Froome and Porte, after Boasson Hagen had already done considerable selection half way up the climb.1684 m/h was the VAM, equal to 5.92 watts/kg.

While the same day Pat McQuaid certified in an interview Sky and Liquigas as examples to follow, it is curious to observe how the two teams have trained at altitude in the area (Teide) that the UCI repeatedly cited as suspicious (see article 53x12.com, Dec. 3rd 2010).

At the Tour of Switzerland we saw a good Frank Schleck again on the climbs: 1663 m/h on the Glaubenberg (1070 m of climbing at 7%), equal to 6.16 w/kg, while the race went to the brave Rui Costa, helped by a Valverde with a growing condition.

But Wiggins and his team have given a very different impression in view of a Tour de France that is orphan of Andy Schleck and Contador, although, in my opinion, the favorite for the victory in Paris is Cadel Evans, who seems more solid and complete than Wiggo.